Container for transporting stacked commodities



Nov. 10, 1942. c WOODRUFF 2,301,603

CONTAINER FOR 'I'RANSPORTING STACKED commommms Filed July 14, 1941' 3 Sheets-Sheet l Ila-.5

IHHIIHIHH H HlllllllHH INVENTOR. GRAHAM a. WOOD/P016,

1942- G. c. WOODRUFF' 2,301,603

CONTAINER FOR TRANSPORTING STACKED COMMODITIES Filed July 14, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 T" lIllL NOV. '10, 194:2. c, WOQDRUFF 2,301,603 j CONTAINER FOR TRANSPORTING STACKED COMMODITIES Filed July 14, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet s A 2 20112 ey Patented Nov. 10, 1942 CONTAINER FOR TRAN SPORTING STACKED COMMODITIES Graham 0. Woodruff, Bronxville, N. Y., assignor to The L. 0. L. Delaware Corporation,

a corporation of Application July 14, 1941, Serial No. 402,355

1 Claim.

This invention is an improvement on the containers for stacked commodities shown in my Patents Nos. 2,095,515 of October 12, 1937, and 2,061,495 of November 17, 1936. The containers shown in these two patents are identical in construction, therefore, I will refer now only to No. 2,061,495. In this container the back or rear wall is imperforate, and on the bottom of the container there are shown a series of cleats, or ribs, a upon the top of which the load of the container is positioned. These cleats, or ribs,

function to guide the prongs of the lifting fork under the load, whereby the load is lifted bodily from the container.

In handling certain commodities it has been found desirable to place a solid bottom on the top of the ribs, or cleats, a.

When the container is used to ship certain commodities it sometimes happens that broken parts of the commodities fall between the cleats, making it impossible to insert the lifting fork under the load. In some instances it is almost impossible to remove these broken parts.

The object of my invention is to retain all of the primary features of the method and apparatus shown in the two and to add features which materially improve the container; and, further, to make it possible to remove all broken parts of the commodities in the fork channels.

A further object of my invention is to so arrange the load of commodities that a part of the load performs the function of the cleats, or ribs, shown in the said patents; and with these and other objects in view my invention consists of the parts and combination of parts hereinafter described.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a container embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the container stacked with brick, a conventional fork being shown in juxtaposition and its tines about to enter spaces reserved for them between the finger brick (see dotted arrow), the load after being deposited on the tines is subsequently lifted in the direction of the arrow shown in full lines.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section on the line 44 of Figure 1, and showing more particularly the openings in the rear wall of the container to permit the removal of broken brick.

Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure empty.

4, the container being patents, above designated,

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, with the brick stacked in the container.

Figure '7 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the line 'l-l of Figure 6, the lifting fork being shown in juxtaposition in dotted lines.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view through the lower portion of the stacked container, showing the tines of the fork entered between the finger brick and the entire load supported by the tines of the fork, and about to be lifted in the direction of the arrow.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary front elevation of the lower part of the container, showing a modified form of a guide to hold the finger brick.

Figure 10 is a horizontal sectional view, taken on the lines I 0-40 of Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 9, but showing the finger brick in position.

Figure 12 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line I2-|2 of Figure 11.

The container has back, side and bottom Walls 2, 3, 4, respectively, and may be of any suitable, or desired, construction.

The cleats a are positioned in spaced relation on the bottom wall 4 of the container, upon which is placed a supplemental bottom 6.

I secure to the supplemental bottom, positioning ribs, or elements, 1 in pairs. However, I may use U-shaped strips 1a (see Figure 9), if found desirable in place of the guides, or retainers.

The distance between each of a pair of the guides is equal to the thickness of two standard size bricks 8 standing on their sides, as clearly shown in the drawings (see Figure 6).

In line with the rear end of each pair of guides I form an opening 9 through the rear wall of the container.

In transportation it has been found that some bricks break and a portion thereof falls into the spaces I0 left for the tines of the lifting fork, and with the former container it is almost impossible to remove this obstruction, and if it cannot be removed then the load would have to be removed from the container by hand.

With my improvement if a portion of load obstructs the fork channel II], it can be, by a suitable instrument, punched out of the fork channel through the openings 9 in the rear wall of the container, as has been repeatedly demonstrated in the commercial use of my improved container.

It will be noted that in loading the container with brick two finger bricks 8 are placed side by side on their side edges throughout the length of the guides 1, la, and between a pair of said guides, the guides holding said brick firmly in line, the space H) between two rows of finger bricks being adapted to receive the tines of the lifting fork (see Figure 8) l2 between them. The next course of brick are laid lengthwise the width of the container with their adjacent ends abutting, a portion of each of the bricks overlying the fork'prong space 1b between the finger brick.

With the tines 12 of the lifting fork in proper position between the finger brick, and lifting power applied to the fork it has been demonstrated, in actual commercial use, that the entire load, including the finger brick, may be lifted bodily from the container and deposited bodily on a truck, or other desired support. At point of consumption, if a power lifting fork is available, the load may be lifted bodily from the truck to a desired position, by reason of the fact that the finger brick are still in position under the load, thus enabling the prongs of the fork to be slid therebetween. The contact between the finger brick and fork prongs is such that the finger brick cannot fall from the load.

It may be desired to dispense with the cleats 8a and supplemental fioor 6 and apply the finger brick guides directly to the container floor 4.

These containers are designed to hold 1500 brick, the complete load weighing 6000 pounds.

The word bottom in the claim is to be understood as including either the board 6 or the bottom wall of the container.

Due to the rough handling, or perhaps some broken brick as it is taken out of the kiln, the

finger brick may shift with a piece of the broken brick in the space between the finger brick thus making it impossible to have the fingers: of the fork go right through to the back of the container to properly function.

As shown in Figure 12, the floor of the container may be omitted entirely, in which case the bottom frame of the container is made up of channel beams l3 and Ba, and the guides I or channel strips Ia may be secured at their ends to the beams I3; but in this case these strips must be made of heavier material to hold the load.

The function of the guides 1 and channel strips la is to hold the finger brick from shifting after once placed in proper position. Sometimes in transit due to a heavy jolt to the car on which the containers are loaded, it was found, prior 'to my present invention, that the finger brick would shift or get out of alignment, thus making itdifficult to insert the tines of the fork under the load. These guides and channels also function to direct the tines of the fork into proper position between the finger brick.

What I claim is:

A container for transporting stacked articles comprising a container body formed of rigidly united bottom, back and side walls, and open at the top and front for the insertion and removal of a stack of articles horizontally or vertically through said open front or top, spaced stack guides extending in parallel relation between the back wall and open front of the container on the bottom of the-container, the spaces between said guides providing guideways for the passage of the prongs of the fork'through the front of the container beneath the stack to allow removal of the stack thereby from the container and ports through the rear wall of the container in line with the said fork spaces.

' GRAHAM CJWOODRUFF. 

